Child-Friendly Approaches in the Classroom

( Lecture delivered during the INSET for teachers)
By Sir Armand
I am here to share something about child- friendly approaches in the classroom..not because I am an expert for this topic but incidentally I have met various cases of results of anti-child atmosphere in the classroom.. Aside from that, I was able to dig out the cases of bullying students and victims of bullying students…I was able to make some researches about this topic in my quest to analyze what motivates child to bully and as teachers, how do we react and resolve this problem….

My fellow teacher, i know many of you….knew this topic already.. but let this be a validation of your stock knowledge on Child- friendly approaches….

We are passing through into a great transition. The old is becoming obsolete and The new is still in the process of emergence….

In the age of Multi media together with the emergence of information technology, the learner is becoming complicated and very difficult to understand.

Take this situation, most of the students today are most inclined in the information technology gadget including exposition to internet like facebook games, dota and many more…and that besides television.

These exposition of students to various media including social media, form part of their values and personality…we can consider them media babies…

Why?
Because most of the characteristics and values portrayed by them are adopted from the teachings of media…and no longer from the teachers or the parents.
How it affects the child?
Let me explain first to you something….

In logic there is a what we call…IDEOGENESIS…

IDEOGENESIS IS THE process of idea formation…meaning nothing enters in the mind unless it passes first through the senses…our external senses..( the five senses) halimbawa may nakita na eksena sa soap opera…pick up agad un ng mata..tenga atbp…and then goes to the first internal sense( the common sense) it synthesize the different data of senses..and then proceed to other internal senses..estimative sense,,memory sense and imagination…the joint action of this internal senses…give way to the generation of a Phantasm (image) of the image perceived..the active intellect will abstract and the passive intellect will try to understand and then we can already form an idea.

Now , let us apply this process of idea formation to the child…

We must take not that our students have poor common sense…the ability to understand and abstract is still poor…
Therefore, what they see and hear on TV, radio and Internet are all perceived by their external senses.. but not all that they see are correct or desirable…
With the poor internal senses and poor abstraction and understanding…there is a possibility that they form a wrong idea….or concept….but for them it is correct…and worst they practice it..and live it…

……What are the teachings of media? Actually the opposite of our teaching….

When the school and home teach about trusting……the media taught doubt, love- lust, generousity-exchange gift, peace- war or violence-trust God- trust money-patience- instant

And the worst, they believe more of the teachings of media than that of the teachers.
These are the reasons why we could conclude that we are dealing with media babies now.

Why are they easily influenced by Media?

Let us analyze our clients…our clients are considered adolescent.. What are the characteristics of an adolescent?
Adolescence (12 - 18 years old) is a particularly hard time for children. They are experiencing all kinds of new changes in their bodies and in their feelings. As well, they often feel misunderstood as they are struggling to leave behind their childhood and become adultsAdolescence has commonly been characterized by issues such as rebellious behaviour, lying, cheating, school performance problems, negative attitudes, disobedience and disrespect, sibling rivalry, drug and alcohol abuse, pressures from peers, depression, and issues of sexuality.

Teens specifically:
There are various issues and disorders that adolescents may face in the turbulent times of their teen years. An adolescent feels all kinds of pressures - from parents, school and peers. They are in a transitional period where they are moving from childhood toadulthood. As well, the influence of peer pressure and the introduction of such pressures from drugs, alcohol and the opposite sex take their toll on any teen.

It is indeed very difficult to analyze , to call the attention, and to understand why they act that way? Even the parents failed to understand and imposition of discipline seems very ineffective.

WE come to the point of teaching that we must adopt billboard approach

… These are the kinds of students we are encountering everyday,,,these are the students that could tempt us to do unprecedented violent reaction if we failed to manage them…

This is the reason why I will be sharing child-friendly approaches to media babies in the classroom.

This will not just save us from legal proceedings but at the same time , this will give us a peaceful and smooth mode of teaching…

From the principles of teaching, we have learned that the first thing that a teacher should do, in order to be effective is to know the learner.
Teaching-learning process is the heart of education-It is the most powerful instrument of education to bring about desired changes in students.

Let us discuss….in short lang…..about learning, teaching and learning-teaching relation.

Learning can be defined as relatively permanent change in an individual’s behavior or behavior potential as a result of experience or practice.

Teaching is the purposeful direction and management of the learning process.

Please take note that teaching is not only the giving of knowledge or skill but also providing opportunities for students to produce relatively permanent change through engagement in experiences provided by the teacher

I would like to get into the last element of teaching-that is providing opportunities for students to produce relatively permanent change through engagement in experiences provided by the teacher

Take note of the last phrase… through engagement in experiences provided by the teacher

Now, may I ask..what experiences do we provide to students so that they learn a lot.

And what are the experiences they need to learn effectively????….

……..That experience must be inspiring, friendly and stress free….and peaceful learning environment.

From the very beginning, …..the learner must experience this…

The learner must feel that he is recognized in the classroom

….,this way..you are stablishing a child-friendly approaches in teaching..

But indeed. It is not that easy to stablish SUCH POSTURE OF A TEACHER…..there are students that cannot be regulated through this…
But ….We have to understand that they have opposite orientation before he came to your class and costudy…you really need to work it out and exert efforts ….

... If there is a need to visit his family, that would be better…home visits to make the child feel that he is important is the best strategy to carry on

….stubborn and truant child needs attention…the best approach is…make him feel important..dig out his problem and you will understand while he is acting that way…a constant dialogue with a child will do a lot … or constant communication..

In our experiences, many of us do not want this kind of students, instead of exerting efforts to dig the problem of the child, we failed to do it…..Truant students are already rejected and when they have the courage to go back to the classroom , they are no longer accepted and never been asked why?....(nauuuriton na kita….)..They are neglected…sa totoo lang…you are pushing another soul to become undesirable citizen…

I would like to tell you that truant students have their own story to tell…they are not like that for no reason, they are like that because of unexplainable reasons…therefore, as teacher, it is our obligation to come and rescue this student from his situation.

In my experiences, 70% of problem students are products of broken families, 20% poverty,10% peer influence.

They have their reason why they act that way..our obligation is to rescue them and make him understand his problem and be able to cope up and do proactive behavior to counter his personal problems..

In our schools…The number 1 problem that we encounter today is bullying…..

….. Bullying behavior can be physical or verbal. Boys tend to use physical intimidation or threats, regardless of the gender of their victims...(damo damo sana didi samuya….) Bullying by girls is more often verbal, usually with another girl as the target…gurunutan man ina….tarabilan… Recently, bullying has even been reported in online chat rooms and through e-mail…or celphones….( several cases na an naimbistigahan ko kaiyan……kadamuan…tomboy na nangungursunada sa kapwa babaye…)


Children who are bullied experience real suffering that can interfere with their social and emotional development, as well as their school performance. Some victims of bullying have even attempted to stop from schooling ( ta natatakot na..o nato trauma….).. rather than continue to endure such harassment and punishment.


Children and adolescents who bully thrive on controlling or dominating others. They have often been the victims of physical abuse or bullying themselves…( kadalasan..mga biktima man sinda nin pangbubully…posibleng at home….Hindi po natin alam..sila din ay biktima ng karahasan ..maaaring sa bahay nila o sa mga magulang mismo… Bullies may also be depressed, angry or upset about events at school or at home. They are in crisis actually..they are undergoing a problem of their own..


In our experience…Students targeted by bullies also tend to fit a particular profile. Bullies often choose children who are passive, easily intimidated, or have few friends…(daog daog man ninda…. Victims may also be smaller or younger, and have a harder time defending themselves.


….. If you suspect your student is bullying others, it's important to seek help for him or her as soon as possible. Without intervention, bullying can lead to serious academic, social, emotional and legal difficulties. Talk to your child's parents, co-teachers, principal, school counselor.. If the bullying continues, a comprehensive evaluation by a professional is a must. (mahal didi ini kay wara kita libre na psychiatrist but if possible..kailangan nila yan…The evaluation can help you and your child understand what is causing the bullying, and help you develop a plan to stop the destructive behavior.

…..now kun enkaso naman…you suspect your student may be the victim of bullying ask him or her to tell you what's going on. You can help by providing lots of opportunities to talk with you in an open and honest way.(..pasoromatuna…paistoryaha….)

It's also important to respond in a positive and accepting manner. Let your child know it's not his or her fault, and that he or she did the right thing by telling you. Other specific suggestions include the following:

* Ask your student what he or she thinks should be done. What's already been tried? What worked and what didn't?
* Seek help from your other teachers or the school guidance counselor. Most bullying occurs on playgrounds, in lunchrooms, and comfort rooms, classrooms..pathways.

In fact our school is doing already remedies to help combat bullying, such as peer mediation, conflict resolution, and increased adult supervision like monitoring of parents.

* Don't encourage your child to fight back. Instead, suggest that he or she try walking away to avoid the bully, or that they seek help from a teacher, parents , or other adult.
* Help your child practice what to say to the bully so he or she will be prepared the next time.
* Help your child practice being assertive. The simple act of insisting that the bully leave him alone may have a surprising effect. Explain to your child that the bully's true goal is to get a response.
* Encourage your child to be with friends when traveling back and forth from school, during shopping trips, or other activities. Bullies are less likely to pick on a child in a group.(dapat mauso an body body or by group…

….Seeking assistance and employing intervention earlier can lessen the risk of lasting emotional consequences for your student.

If there is a need to call his parents,, do it…or refer it to the guidance counselor ..do it…

My friends, you can make miracles…I know it is difficult to do this with our situation…we are loaded and aside from that we have a lot of students in one class.. but we have no choice ..this is our job.. we are oblige to do this.

Let me share some thoughts in Psychology: This is about behaviorism.

Behaviorism is a school of thought in psychology based on the assumption that learning occurs
through interactions with the environment. Two other assumptions of this theory are that the
environment shapes behavior and that taking internal mental states such as thoughts,feelings and emotions into consideration is useless in explaining behavior.

We can conclude therefore that through conditioned stimulus, we can create a culture of child friendly approaches.

Nano ina na conditioned stimulus------mabuti ang kanyang nararamdaman sa learning environment..walang stress.walang tension…ang tingin niya sa teacher ay kaibigan…at hindi po leon o tigre na anytime pwede siyang salakayin……at singhalan…

Sa pamamagitan po ng kapaligirang ito, mas madali siyang matuto at mas makagagawa siya ng makabuluhang bagay…at mas magiging inspired siya mag aral…


There are times… na ang nagiging dahilan ng mga mag aaral kung bakit ayaw niyang pumasok sa silid aralan ay ang kanyang guro..guro na ayaw na sa kanya ….(nakikita pa lamang an ulo niya…pipiluwas na siya)..

Taliwas po yan sa mga rason kung bakit tayo naging teacher at kung bakit nandito tayo sa teaching profession…

Wala po tayo dito kung wala ang mga estudyante…

Kung iiwasan natin sila o itataboy….ang susunod ho na mangyayari tayo na ang maaalis…

…….sabi po ng nakakausap ko…(kapagal pan-o ngaya san mga bata…) grabe na pasaway…)..pero ganon po talga ang trabaho natin…walang katapusan na pakikibaka para sa edukasyon at mabuting pagpapakatao ng ating mga mag aaral…yan po ang trabaho natin…uulitin ko po…yan po ang trabaho natin….

May kasabihan po na..teachers cud make or unmake a student ..totoo yan…

Kung gawin natin ang trabaho natin…we can make an ordinary person…extra ordinary pagdating ng araw….

May bunos pa…pag nagkita kayo uli….may chocolate na ..may thank you pa…di ba kagayon?....

But kung hindi natin gagawin ang ating trabaho…may posibilidad na mapariwara ang mga mag aaral natin…balang araw …baka madukutan ka…ang mandurukot… ay estudyante mo pala….

Nag lump sum ka sa GSIS sa pag retire mo…maya maya nadugo dugo gang ka…ang kasabwat pala..estudyante mo…di ba?

Alam nyo po di man makatapos ang mga estudyante natin...pero kung na touch mo naman ang buhay nila….baka may mga pagkakataon…na naubusan ka ng pamasahe sa tricycle…at namroblema…maya maya sabi ng driver maam…wag na po kayo mag bayad …ako po pala si budoy naging estudyante mo po….siram sana…..

That is why..we have to create a child –friendly environment for our learners…..

What are the indicators to have child-friendly classroom as presented by UNICEF

1. Providing a friendly, rewarding and supportive atmosphere ( always be in good mood, smiling face,, favorable comments and dispositions)
2. Supporting cooperation and active learning ( create a happy learning environment,stress-free, design activities and projects that could promote cooperation and team work…)

3. Forbidding physical punishment and violence
( sigurado preso ka kaini…avoid corporal punishment..psychologically and physically…violations of Anti child abuse law….)we have no business in doing that…

4. Not tolerating bullying, harassment and discrimination ( always act on cases of bullying, harassment…zero bullying incident tayo..meaning..action agad pag may bullying incident..

5. Valuing the development of creative activities (encourage the child to be creative in all activities that you do inside the classroom…)

6. Connecting school and home life through involving parents .( the most effective way of promoting child –friendly is a strong tie with parents….it is a must na kuruwaon ta an number san parents…or ways of communicating with them asap…that is the secret of child- friendly approaches…

Now, just in case you are not convinced, and you opt to do the traditional mode of discipline,,jerking, shouting, widening of eyes, gripping and many more…you are prone to child abuse cases…administratively, that is valid basis to fire you out from the service..aside from that, you push another soul to miserable life…that is moral accountability.

If you will not do anything because you are afraid of the administrative sanctions of disciplining a child and instead you will be passive..( pabayaan ko sana ngaya ta ako pa an maraot…) your act will violate the professional ethics..and again if someone goes against you, you can be charged for neglect of duty.

Indeed, we have no choice but to do our obligation as teacher…

Sabi sa sarong quotation..

“An understanding heart is everything in a teacher, and cannot be esteemed highly enough. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feeling. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.”Carl Jung

To finally end my talk, I want you to watch this video…I wish you will be inspired to stablish child friendly approaches in the classroom.